Throughout history, human beings have been drawn to the great unknown, and nowhere offers as many unknowns, in a relatively accessible place, as the ocean. There, lovers of the strange and bewildering can find stories of ghost ships, immortal jellyfish, unidentifiable sounds, and alien-looking objects. Let’s explore some of the top ocean mysteries.
Milky Sea Phenomenon
Location: Northwest Indian Ocean and the Maritime Continent
The Milky Sea phenomenon is one of the best-known ocean oddities. It refers to a strange milky sheen or glow found on the waters of the Indian Ocean. This phenomenon has been detailed for more than 400 years by sailors. More recently, researchers have since determined that the glow comes from bioluminescent bacteria.
This odd skill allows them to attract fish, be consumed, and then thrive on the bacteria in the fish’s stomach. While this part of the mystery has been solved, it’s still unclear why such massive numbers of bacteria gather together in the same location.
The Kaz II
Location: Australia
Dubbed “The Ghost Yacht,” the Kaz II was a yacht that was found adrift 163 kilometers off the coast of Australia back in 2007. The ship was crewed by Derek Batten, Peter Tunstead, and James Tunstead. It separated from Airlie Beach five days before it was discovered adrift. They were headed for Townsville, Queensland, and then around to Western Australia. When investigated, the ship was completely intact with everything exactly as one would expect it to be.
Food, plates, and silverware were still on the tables, a laptop was on and working, and the engine was running. The GPS was fully functional, as was the radio. The only sign of distress, besides the missing crew, was one of the sails had been shredded, and there was no life raft on board. There is still no clear conclusion regarding the fate of the crew.
Bermeja
Location: Mexico
Bermeja is a mysterious phantom island off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula. It is noted on several maps from the 16th to 20th centuries, but no modern survey has ever uncovered it. It was first mentioned in a list of islands published in Madrid in 1539. Some believe that the island never existed while others have suggested that it disappeared somehow. Perhaps rising sea levels consumed it, or as another more outlandish theory suggests, maybe the CIA destroyed the island to expand the US economic zone.
Baltic Sea Anomaly
Location: Baltic Seafloor
The Baltic Sea Anomaly refers to a sonar image taken by several scientists, including Peter Lindeberg and Dennis Åberg. They, along with their diving team, “Ocean X,” took the image while treasure hunting along the ocean floor of the northern Baltic Sea in June 2011. The object in the picture was strikingly unusual, seemingly non-natural. Some people immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was an underwater UFO, while more even-minded scientists determined that it was a natural formation.
The image shows something that is 200 feet (60 meters) in diameter and resembling ramps and stairs. When the group tried to take another photo the next year, they claimed that some electrical interference prevented them from doing so. Other suggestions were that the formation was a portal to another dimension or some kind of underwater monument like Stonehenge. Live Science describes the formation as a glacial deposit although this answer has not satisfied the most avid of conspiracy theorists.
Mysterious Sounds
Location: Southern Pacific Ocean
One of the most mysterious sounds is the “Bloop,” recorded in the 1990s. It originated from the southern Pacific and was recorded while scientists were listening for underwater volcanic activity. Some possible origins for the sound, from the scientific community, were secret military exercises, giant squids, whales, commercial fishing boats, or possibly a sea creature as of yet unknown to science.
It was eventually determined that the sound was an icequake or the sound of an iceberg cracking and breaking away from a glacier. While the origin of this particular sound was uncovered, many more such as low, screeching sounds originating from the Mariana Trench are not fully explained.
The Green Flash
Location: At any altitude with an unobstructed view of the horizon
The green flash is a meteorological phenomenon that can occur around the moment of sunrise or sunset. It requires specific conditions and resembles a green ray that shoots up from the sun at the point of rise or set. They have fueled stories and myths for decades, but scientists now understand them as the effect of the earth’s atmosphere causing the Sun’s light to refract into different colors.
Immortal Jellyfish
Location: Across the world’s oceans
Believe it or not, the Immortal Jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) is a creature that can potentially live forever. This tiny marvel measures only 4.5 mm (0.18 in), has a transparent bell and a bright red stomach. It has the extraordinary ability to revert to its polyp stage when injured or stressed. Once again a polyp, it eventually re-emerges as numerous genetically identical medusae (adult jellyfish) through a process known as transdifferentiation.
The secret lies within its stem cells, which have captivated scientists in the field of regenerative medicine. By understanding how the Immortal Jellyfish achieves biological immortality, researchers hope to glean insights into combating age-related diseases and potentially extending the human lifespan.
Mariana Trench
Location: Western Pacific Ocean
The Mariana Trench is renowned as the deepest point on Earth. Plunging to a depth of approximately 11,000 meters (nearly 7 miles!), its exact measurement remains a subject of ongoing exploration. The trench’s most profound region, known as the “Challenger Deep,” is named after the HMS Challenger and Challenger II research vessels that first surveyed its depths.
While a handful of intrepid explorers have ventured into the Challenger Deep, much of this extreme environment holds many ocean mysteries. The waters of the Mariana Trench present a paradox: icy cold in some areas, yet reaching scorching temperatures of up to 371 degrees Celsius (700 degrees Fahrenheit) near deep-sea hydrothermal vents. This unique combination of immense pressure, extreme temperatures, and perpetual darkness creates a habitat for life forms unlike anything found elsewhere on the planet.
1968 Submarine Disappearances
Location: North Atlantic Ocean (USS Scorpion), Pacific Ocean (Soviet Submarine K-129), Mediterranean Sea (INS Dakar), Gulf of Lion (Minerve)
In 1968, at least four naval submarines from different countries disappeared at sea. One of the most famous is the USS Scorpion (U.S. Navy), whose remains were located on the seabed off the coast of the Azores in the north Atlantic Ocean. There are several theories about what happened to it and the other three submarines—the INS Dakar from Israel, the Minerve from France, and the K-129 from the Soviet Union. Theories include natural phenomena like hurricanes and underwater sea storms, as well as hydrogen explosions, underwater collisions, and even an enemy attack.
The Bermuda Triangle
Location: A triangulated area between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico
No list of ocean mysteries would be complete without mentioning the Bermuda Triangle. It is also known as the Devil’s Triangle, Devil’s Sea and Hoodoo Sea. It is defined as a region of the ocean, off Miami, Florida and Puerto Rico in the Atlantic, where an unusual number of mysterious disappearances of ships and planes. The mystery first started gaining traction in the 1950s with the disappearance of Flight 19 – a group of five US Navy torpedo bombers. Popular media and legends has depicted the area as a haven for supernatural activity, spinning compasses, and even alien abduction. But, in truth, it is one of the most heavily traveled areas of the ocean, and the number of disappearances is not disproportional for the traffic in the area.
